Ryding ever on, the sunset seems as far away as ever for Griffin and his gang of Long Ryders with this enjoyable twist and twang.
ENTHUSIASM & ABILITY
Some bands, as they ease towards the inevitable loom of dusk, wind down and relax, going gently into the night, embracing acousticity and slippers. The Long Ryders are not such a band. With a heyday, discounting their current Indian Summer, dating back to the Paisley Underground days of the early to mid 80’s, Sid Griffin and his pals have, since picking up again their muse around 2017, issued 3 new records, this being the latest. These days, to have a 32 year gap between releases is neither unique nor unusual, but the enthusiasm and agility with which they today apply themselves, well, maybe it is. This was made plain when we caught them live, a couple or so years back.
ROCK MUSIC
The Long Ryders are not Griffin’s only activity, he maintaining also a healthy solo career and keeping his other band, The Coal Porters, intermittently alive. Likewise, bandmates, Stephen McCarthy and Greg Sowders, are far from idle, with McCarthy, he being an occasional Jayhawk, and Sowders mainly involved at high level A&R and publishing roles, ahead being lured back behind the kit. Longtime bassist, Tom Stevens, present for their 2019 renaissance, died in 2021, since which time Old 97’s bassist Murry Hammond has provided that augmenting role to the residual core trio.
The basic style is two guitars, bass and drums, to which Griffin and McCarthy can add mandolin, banjo and dobro, where needed, although I would still quantify them as rock over Americana, and would believe they do, too. The fact that they have again recruited Ed Stasium to produce, he who helmed much of the Ramones’ catalogue, gives further heft to that thought.
A JANGLY CHUG
Four Winters Away is the opening track, a song written, and sung, by Griffin. It is a jangly chug, with choppy rhetoric proposing “a toast to the future”. Reminiscent of R.E.M.’s stuttery pre-fame output, it is a glorious statement of intent, regardless, one feels, the evidence the world might make to any such concept. Sticking with what one might classify as power-pop, McCarthy then tackles his own World Without Fear, further 6 and 12 strings all a’choogle. Harmonies dip in, much as you might want to add them yourselves, and Sowders’ drums are high and proud in the mix. Melody is key: “wouldn’t it be nice to sing along“, suggests McCarthy, ahead a psychedelicised middle eight. Groovy times!
12 bars inform the boogie of Stand A Little Further In The Fire, the pen and mike back with Griffin. It may not be subtle but oozes charm and a knowing confidence borne out of competence. A Hammond skirts the backdrop, it and other occasional keys courtesy Stasium. It’s catchy, even with the shouted “hey“s, something I seldom see as necessary. It works here. Ramona is a (slightly) slower ballad, some country curlicues slipping int McCarthy’s sideswipes of guitar. All solid stuff, so far, continuing into the florid flourish of (How How How) How Do You Wanna Be Loved, and of course that’s how (how how) each line starts. I can see their fanbase singing along to this, however, um, mature.
BYRD/BURRITO ALERT
Very little overt musical sophistication evident as yet, it surely quite a feat to play dumb this well, as all have skills so far kept under wraps. A little bursts through for the very Byrdsy/Burrito-esque Knoxville On The Line, with steel and mandolin, the guitars now acoustic. It’s a graceful little number, McCarthy’s vocal falteringly and Gram-ly to a T. The running order was well set up change in mood, and it is both welcome and appreciated to see and hear this flip side. A Hymn For City Of Angels occupies similar territories, with no less than DJ Bonebrake adding some characterful vibraphone accompaniment to this touching song of ageing love: “Now I’ve got a compass, now I’ve got a home“.
The scene seeming to shift away from the city and towards the prairie, the only co-write is a return to a more urban setting. Down To The Well is country-rock in the old money, with one guitar swaggering as the other twangs, and is classic Long Ryder, in style, reminiscent of their prime. Ditch the hyphen rock and you have Wanted Man In Arkansas, where the western joins up the equation for a good old outlaw ballad, fun of derring do, deaths and dobro. A word here for Hammond’s splendid four to the floor bass. We are now back on the song swap sharing, the baton in McCarthy’s hand and vocal.
RELIABLE & RETROACTIVE
A Belief In Birds had me thinking of a song quite different as it began, before settling back into the superlative bar band mode they excel at. Another song so catchy that any old butterfingers could easily contain it, falling from the sky, my notes comment both reliable and retroactive. What it means, I don’t know, but that seems unnecessary to take it all in. Rain In Your Eyes, despite a neat taste in slide guitar, is by comparison a little plodding, the first other than positive thought to cross my ears. It’s fine, just not as fine, I guess. I do like the slide guitar, mind.
That thought still lingering, I wondered whether the album, at 13 songs, may just be a tad too long. Might 10 have been better, I wonder? Track 12 comes also in as only fine, good any where else, like its predecessor, just wilting in the company. Unless it is the order; played first it would be seen as a perfectly satisfactory jangly slowie. Say Goodbye To Crying is a good name, too, so maybe it just shows the risks of overextending song selections, when they are painted broadly from the same brush, or, at least, two very similar ones. The arbitrary cover of Dylan’s Forever Young offers no such quandary, and I would have ditched it long before the stage of inclusion, giving a bad name to both the memory of the song and the band here playing it. (Ouch!)
WHAT OLD GUYS DO BEST
Despite the harshness of my final words, this actually is a super record. It confirms the strength of old guys sticking to what they know. A tiniest bit of pruning might have made it better still, with nobody the worse for missing the final track and maybe, just maybe, one or other of the two before.
See what you think? This is Four Winters Away:
The Long Ryders: Website